To take a job or not?

[hannajadem]

If you read my blog, you will know I had a job interview in a salon today for full time nail tech. I should know the result tomorrow, however I feel it will be positive!
However, I just need to pick your nail tech brains...
I got to the salon, girls seeemed nice, have been there about 4 yrs, salon owned by current owner for 5 yrs.
I had my 'interview' in their relaxation room. It was quite an upmarket salon in an affluent area, charge £40 for nails, the only place in the county to do intimate waxing etc etc.
The owner kept going on about the fact that they only use CND for its reputation etc etc, all techs have to be CND trained, she then went on to say they'd had so many bad techs walk through the door that she herself got CND trained a few years ago to help out during staff shortages etc.
So far so good-I'm CND trained!
So I go to do some nails on her for my trade test. I'd brought my own brush and powders as I wanted to use opaque to extend the nail bed if possible.
As it was a test, I wanted to do everyhting properly, to meet her 'standards'. I asked where the hand sanitiser was, and was told they don't use it, except if the client looks dirty:irked:. I said I'd prefer to use it, made a bit of a joke that I'm paranoid about bugs etc. I rubbed it in, and it was very greasy. She said it might be 'off' as it's so old so I asked to go wash my hands as they were so slippery.
Next, I asked where the cuticle remover was. Told they don't use it as it makes the nails lift.:irked: I replied that I use it on all my clients every time and never have a problem with lifting, as long as it's washed off. She asked me how I washed it off and I told her about the bowl of water thing with the hand soak, and she replied that that takes too much time, and it was quicker to do a dry prep.
So I prepped and then applied my own tips I'd brought and was told that they only use Millenium tips. Fine I thought, I use Pro Impressions, but I also keep CND tips for the problem nail shapes. How do they get around this??? (didn't think to ask this in the interview I was so nervous)
As I looked through the drawers for the monomer, I found lots of very old files, bits and pieces of kit from diff brands, buffers that were falling apart etc. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but it didn't really look that good. If I were a client paying £40, I wouldn't go to 'CND salon' to find that the only CND products they were using were the liquid and powder!
As I put the powder on, she asked me what powder I was using and explained. She told me that they only keep the white, soft white, and sheer pink. Seems fine, but then I thought to myself afterwards, how do they do nail biters???
I left feeling a bit like my head was in a whirl, when I'd finished the nails she said they were lovely, I knew they weren't up to my usual standard, I was no nervous. She went on to say about the pay, which was more than what I was expecting and I'd hear from her by Wed at the latest. Half of me is hoping that she turns me down, because then I don't have to make this decision.
I phoned my friend who was eager to know how it went and I told her that I don't think I'd be happy doing it their way and could see me falling out with them over it, and she replied that they've been there doing this for 5 years and are really successful (their main business is nails), and maybe all good salons work like this because it saves them money, and they are in business after all????
Has anyone experienced this working in a salon and do you think it could work?

Forgot to add: I don't do infills, as I like to put the apex back each time, and also if soemone comes back with sidewall lifting, you usually get rid of the white filing the lifting away, so I always rebalance, and I was told by her when I pointed this out that people won't pay for rebalance each time. (Fair enough, but can't she advertise it as 'maintenance'-2 wks, 3wks rebalance etc to get around this, or am I being dense?)

 

[Kittensgotclaws]

Hey there, i am so sorry that you had a bit of a bad time at your interview. I think you have already answered your questions really, my answer would be a firm no, that is not how good salons run a business, they do not only stock a few bits of the product that they claim to use throughout the salon, they would stock the whole range, they would definately use hand sanitiser and cuticle away, they most definately wouldn't have old files and falling apart buffers in drawers ready to be used again, when your doing nails yourself (do you do it from home?) you have obviously set your standards high, as it should be, dont lower them for anything, i hope i was able to help and that you were able to make sense of my rambleings! lol.
Good luck in whatever you decide. :hug: Xxx

 

[kawaii81]

I would report them for being unsanitary and not following procedures right. And i would go try at another salon cause i wouldnt want to ruin my rep by working at a unsanitary salon.

 

[hannajadem]

Thanks for your replies.
This is where I get confused. It's a very expensive salon in an affluent area, and I'm wondering after today how they have managed to run such a successful business for 5 years, I even read their visitor's book, and the clients seem to praise the nails more than anything else. Could it just be that the clients don't know any different (it's the only salon in that town)?
The only thing that I found unsanitary was the lack of hand sanitiser, they did have tools in barbicide, so it's not that I find them unsanitary per se, I was just surprised that a salon of their 'standards' could cut such corners and seem to get away with it, and now I'm wondering whether this is a standard thing in larger salons (I've never had any salon experience, so only my CND training to compare their procedures to).

 

[kawaii81]

oh then if you get the job use sanitize i think it would be okay

 

[Kittensgotclaws]

I was just surprised that a salon of their 'standards' could cut such corners and seem to get away with it, and now I'm wondering whether this is a standard thing in larger salons (I've never had any salon experience, so only my CND training to compare their procedures to).

Hi there, i have a thought for you.....

Think of Gigi, she's owned a few salons, she's an industry icon, she puts her all into everything she does and she's CND trained, do you think that in all the salons she's owned that she ever cut corners??

The answer to that question is no because she would not ever do that, she has her reputation to uphold and in this case so do you, if people start cutting corners with just a couple of "little" things then who knows what else may be just brushed aside, do you get what i mean?
Think about it, Good luck in what you decide.
Jo.Xxx

 

[geeg]

Hi there, i have a thought for you.....

Think of Gigi, she's owned a few salons, she's an industry icon, she puts her all into everything she does and she's CND trained, do you think that in all the salons she's owned that she ever cut corners??

The answer to that question is no because she would not ever do that, she has her reputation to uphold and in this case so do you, if people start cutting corners with just a couple of "little" things then who knows what else may be just brushed aside, do you get what i mean?
Think about it, Good luck in what you decide.
Jo.Xxx

Thank you so much for the vote of confidence :hug: ... and you are right ... :green: I was CND procedure and products all the way and the only time I varied that was that I often did a dry prep on regular clients who did not need a wet prep. We used Cuticle Eraser when we needed to remove built up cuticle (cuticle Away wasn't even heard of then). I used ALL CND branded products for everything except for nail art.

Now, I have been into thousands of salons who use CND for all enhancements and other stuff (where they think they are saving pennies etc) on their adhesive or their files .. bla bla. In the end they save precisely nothing really .. they just think they do. By the time they have wasted time doing different orders to different suppliers etc they do not save diddly (and that does not include what they loose doing services that they needn't have done (and possibly lost clients through service breakdown) if they had stuck to doing things right, but they never know this).

I NEVER missed out a step (nor did my colleagues) of prep including Cool Blue etc EVER. It was a ritual in our salons and It is as natural to me to use it as brushing my teeth is in the morning. I still can turn out a FS in an hour and a rebalance in 50 minutes so what are we actually saving in terms of time by short cutting? Nothing again .. they just think they are.

If you feel you can work in this salon and do things your way using the right procedures with the correct products then do it.

CND trained techs usually stick to routine if they have trained with CND from the start because they know WHY they are doing what they are doing.

People who convert to CND almost immediately start mixing it up by wanting to 'use up' their old stuff and get into bad habits from day one thinking they know more!! :irked: They don't.

Maybe you can be a positive influence in this salon by sticking to your guns and doing things the right way (working for anyone always means compromise or a lowering of standards)! If not, then running your own business is the only way to keep your standards completely how you want them. In any case, Hannah, bravo for sticking to your guns, I hope they don't change you. Good Luck